Improvement in gas-lighting torches



E. L. MEG-ILL. -GAs-mcmwmf TORCH.

Patented J'uly 24,1877.

N.PETER$, PHOTOLITHDGRAPH'ER, wAsHxNGToN. ELC. y

'UNITED STATES EDWARD L. MEGILL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

kSpecification forming-part of LettersgPatent-110.193,535, dated July1877; applcationled vJanuary 31, 1877.

- v .lp allfwhom #may concern: 4 `Be -itknown that 1,EDWARD L. MEGILL,`of Brooklyn, in-the county of tKings and State .of New York, haveinvented .certain new and g nsefnllmprovements in vTorches forGras-Light- .ing Purposes,of which thefollowing is a description,reference bei-ng had tothe accompanying, drawing, formingpart ofthisspeciy magazine. D is the anvil in front of the magcation.

This invention has for its Object the vproduc- .tion-of a,fulminatetorch for .gasflighting purposes 4and the invention consstsinvarious Apeculiar .constructions .and combinations of` Ypartsimaportable gaslighter of this description, whereby many conveniencesare afforded. Vin the working orhandling of it, and its effi-1thehannnuer byits action under a sidclip, d,

`ciency.generally is insured.

Figurel representsa side longitudinal view of ,a fulminatetorchconstructed in accord- -ance with my invention,a nd showingby dot`gtedlinesthe lid of-the magazine as thrown' up or open. ,Fig 2isasection taken .centrally and I,loitegrinidnally. through thefstemin a4plall.Phallel with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 islasection taken centrally `,and.longitudinally through the stemin a Iplane at right angles withtheAformer figures. Fig. lisa transversesection,

throughv the' hammer and anvilof the torch,

on the line rx. Fig. 5 isa sectional sideview of a bell and tube appliedto the anvilofthe .torch when thetorch is used to ignitethe `gasof-:anArgand burner,or ofa burner-to which a .chimney or ...shade is`applied, and Fig. l6 is a view `of the same, taken as indicated by theline y y. iFig .7 isan upper end view. of the torch, mainly inillustration of the hammer .and .the action thereon of the lifting cam,:and lFig. .8 a rtransverse vSection `through .the magazine, Vthe. camoperating` therein, and the hammer.

In my fulminate-torch, which is the :subject of this invention,Iemploywhatis known as fulminateftapev-that.is,.a `tape of vpapervorother suitable material havingfulminate-pellets on it at givendistances`apart-and,ar-

1 produces a flash of dame which ignites the ELS. g A is themagazine,constructed to receive the fulminate-tape b in .the forinof acoil within it, and closed on its one side bya lid, B. (l is thehammenwhichris here represented as. compesed-oi' a bent flat spring, andis made to forma part of theinclosing-wallsof vthe azine, and attachedto the latter, andE the tape-ieeder,..which latter is composed of an.elastic lateral projection-from a plate-cam, G, Within the magazine.This rcam is litted to freely turn abouta stud, c, on which the coiloftape is .placed, and serves Ythe purposenot only of operatingthetape-feeder E, but also 0n the hammer. The magazine-'frame has combinedwith it a lkey-turner, J,having cheeks orsides arranged lat suitabledistances apart, and serving to receive withinthemth'e handle of ,a gas4key or tap, in order that the tap may be turned bythe ltorch to letthegas on or off,- which will be Efound very convenient, especially whenl. the gas-keyis Situated at a `distance lout of vconvenient reach lbyhand. Said key-turner J is here represented as combined lwith themagazine or frame of the latnter by casting it iny o ne piece ywith theframe and with fthe socketa,by which said frame is connected .withthesteml. This construction is not only a simple and cheap .o ne, but itgives ygreat stability and strength, and .causes thekey-turner andmagazine to mutually supporteach other.

The devices for operating thetumzblcr or .camG to feed forward thefulminate-tape `b its required distance, and to raise the `hammer C,consist of a yconnecting rod, f, attached to the cam and passing downthrough the stem I, .where (or lin the handle lof the torch) it ispressed upward-or .outwardby a spring, g, ,when the thumby of l the handholding the torch is `removed .from a` trigger, JL, -yvhich proj ectslaterally from the rod f through .a slot in thestem near the inner en dof the handle. By pulling downl onthetrigger the tape-feeder E is -movedforward, andthe hain- .mer O :raised until the .cam Gfv` clears theI,slidelip on the latter. The springhammer C. then being liberated,strikes the fulminate-pellet of the tape, advanced by the forward actionof the feeder E onto or over the anvil D, and gives the necessary ash toignite the gas.

Io facilitate the feed of the tape from the magazine onto the anvil andprevent it from being caught by any angular projection likely to impedeit, the front of the magazine is constructed or provided with a circularconcentric guide, t', which serves to direct the tape in a regular andeasy manner to the anvil as the tape leaves the magazine.

To insure the proper insertion of the coil of tape within the magazineso that its free end will not be projected through the opening k.between the hammer and the magazine, but will be projected, as required,through the lower opening in the magazine for the operap tion upon it ofthe feeder E, the lid B is pivoted at l to the upper forward portion ofthe magazine-frame--that is, at a point between the hammer C and thefeeder E-and when thrown up or opened, as shown by vdotted lines in Fig.1, is arrested by a stop, K, whereby said lid closes the opening 7c atthe receiving side of the magazine, thus acting as a bar to the entry ofthe free or loose end of each fresh coil of fulminate-tape through saidopening, and restricting the introduction of the coil so that its freeend will pass through the lower opening in the magazine to the guide i,or surface, against which the feeder E operates. Furthermore, themagazine cover or lid B is constructed at its opening end with a hook,m, which engages with a stud, n, on the frame, and locks said lid whenclosed. It is also furnished with a thumb-piece,o, to facilitate theopening and closing of it.

The piece K, which projects from the upper side of the anvil. in frontof that portion of the latter which receives the blow ofthe hammer, notonly forms a stop for the lid B, as described, but also a guide for thespent end of the fulminate-tape to assist in its direction, and likewiseserves as a guard to prevent the firing of the exposed end of the tapeby the ignited gas.

The anvil D, where it receives the blow ofthe hammer, is madewedge-shaped or sharp, so as to prevent an easy or uninterrupted passageon either side of it for 4the llame produced by the striking of thehammer on the fulminatetapein the direction in which the flame isrequired to take.

The following are additional peculiarities 0f construction and operationwhich have not yet been specially pointed out in the foregoingdescription: The tape-feeder E and the guide i unite with the hammer Oto form in part the walls of the magazine A. Again, the lid d of thehammer G, under which the cam G operates to lift the hammer when thetrigger h is'depressed, is made inclined, as clearly represented inFigs. 7 and 8, whereby, in the .lifting-operation of the cam, the hammeris retained in position on the latter by the inclination of theoverlapping lip; but after the feeder E, which here is shown as anattachment to, or forms part of, the cam, has fed forward thefulminate-tape, and the l hammer has been released and iired the pellet,the lifting portion of the cam in the return stroke of the lattercatches on the end of the lid d and pushes the spring-hammer slightly toone side to allow of the cam making its return stroke without liftingthe hammer or interfering with the hold of the tape by the hammeragainst the back action of the feeder E.

This completes the description of the construction of the instrument asregards the adaptability of the latter to burners not provided with achimney or shade-excluding application of the torch to the burnerotherwise than down throughV the chimney or shade, it only beingnecessary in the manipulation of the instrument first to open thegas-key or tap by means of theA key-turner J, then to bring the anvil I)over the burner, and simultan eously to pull down on the trigger h, soas to feed forward the fulminate-tape and cause the hammer C to explodeone of the pellets thereof.

When, however, it is required to apply the torch to an Argand burner ortoa burner having a chimney or shade, as above described, then the noseor forward end of the anvil has applied to it (as shown in Figs. 5 and6) a. tube, M, having a bell, N, attached to its outer end for insertiondown within the shade orchimney, and serving to conduct the gas as itissues from the burner to the ilame produced by the striking of thehammer. To thisend the tube M is constructed with a longitudinal Toprevent a too free escape of `the i1lum1.

hating-gas through the holes fv as the bell N is brought over theburner, said holes are surrounded by anges or necks w, which have theeffect of retarding the ow of gas through them.

The transverse slit s in the nose is advantageous without the tube M, asit provides for the spread of the gas across the flames of thefulminate,. as indicated by arrows in Fig. 1.

I claim- 1. The combination, with theframe of the magazine A, of akey-turner, J, cast in one piece with said frame, essentially as and forthe purposes herein set forth.

2. The combination of the stem I, the handle I', the magazine A, theconnecting-mdf, the spring g, the trigger h, and the tumbler or cam G,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The magazine lid or cover B, pivoted to the magazine-frame at alpoint, l, between the hammer C and the tape-feeder E, essentially asdescribed. i

4. The guide, guard, and stop K, in combination with the magazine A andits lid B, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the circular concentric tape-guide i, with themagazine A, and the tape-feeder E, working outside of the exteriorconcentric surface of said guide, Whereby the feed of the tape from andoutside of the magazine is facilitated, essentially as described.

6. The sharp anvil D, in combination with the hammer C, having astriking action in the the direction in which it is required to pass theame, substantially as specified.

7. The anvil D, constructed with a transverse slit, s, in its nose,substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

8. The magazine A having its Walls in part formed of the hammer O, thetape-feeder E, and the guide i, essentially as described.

9. The vibrating cam G, in combination with the hammer C and itsinclined lip d, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

10. The combination, of the fulminate-tape feeder E, with the cam G, towhich said feeder is attached, substantially as specified.

EDWARD L. MEGILL.

Witnesses:

FRED. HAYNES, BENJAMlN W. HOFFMAN.

